The Orichalcon

OK, since there were some problems with the mix and we were requested by Larry to go back and retry the ending, we did just that but went a lot further by adding some more stuff, changing some things and bringing in the lovely pixietricks to add some backing vocals to the mix. It's different enough now that I think it needs a revote. We've changed the name to "Via" to give it a bit more uniqueness. We've added Jill's vocals, a fade-out ending, EQ'd the guitar and entire mix a bit better. Tweaked the drumwork a little more so it sounds more fluent and made the transition between the first half and second half of the song more fluent.

Yo.If I were you I'd shrink my sig to <200 pixels high. <150 preferred. yeah, seriously. have some consideration for others, asshole

I'll be settling on a title shortly, so if you have any more ideas that you want to put forward, head over to doulifee's forum and post them up. Otherwise I'll just pick one.

No production issues. The panning can be weird at times, a little unbalanced with some of the rhythm guitar favouring either channel. That aside, everything else sounds fine. Excellent guitar. Love the change at 2:45. I was hoping for something new to happen soon. Good grunge going there. awesome wah guitar coming in at 3:08. The diverseness in the arrangement and guitar styles is reminiscent of goat's remixes for me (That's a good thing.) Nice work lads. Hot stuff. I like my rock tracks a bit grungier, but this works out well. YES

... you can do that with Doomsday? There's a script you can download from the doomsday site that replaces the ingame music with scripted mp2's that Prince released (can be found at doomworld.) You can edit the file to change the paths of the songs and replace them with the ones from DSoP. I agree with compyfox in that the project was mastered to flow properly, so the tracks don't really work as looping background music in the game. (eg: e1m1 sports a long fade-in intro from the opener track.) If we released all the tracks individually, then it might work better in game. As it is, some of the tracks were made to slot straight into the game (ie: Jade Spawn, as I tried to make it fit the ambient-music context of the PSX version, while retaining the melody.)

Ok guys, I've been a bit slack lately in keeping this in progress. We're still a long way from finishing. I've received 2 completed tracks so far. So I'm leaving it in your hands now as to when you get your finished tracks to me. If you want comments on your pieces, post them over at Doulifee's forum and I'll check them out, as will some other members who've been kind enough to offer opinions so far. So there are no more WIP deadlines, it's too difficult to round up all the pieces and keep everyone on track, since we all work at different paces. Register here if you haven't already: http://doulifee.com/phpbb/ Then send a message to Doulifee and he'll add you to the Doom 2 project section. I'm also requesting that those involved in the project make it easier for me to manage. ie: don't make me chase you down to find the status of your mix. If you're going to be busy, then tell me. If I request a WIP from you personally, then please render a WIP and let me listen. Any questions, send me a message.

That's actually pretty ironic that you pointed that out. Some of my music influence has come from Peace Orchestra (The guys who did the song in Kid's Story.) I really liked their laid back, and yet bass/distortion driven style. And for the record, the source is labelled as "level02.mid" in my archive. However I'm not sure if that links up properly either. It's definitely one of the songs in the shareware version as well as the full version. Thanks for the comments so far.

Do explain.

Karl's still the man. Been listening to this one a lot recently. Loving it more now than before for some reason. Doo, doo doo. Love that ending.

The source is absolutely awful. Let's hope you've done a better job Vox thing starts off kinda bland, hoping it builds into a thicker soundscape. Hihats and beats come in, followed by questionable clap sample (I hate claps, but I won't hold it against you.) Beats sound robotic so far, vox sound fairly bland in the background. Synth brought in at around 1:15 does better to fill the background up a little, a proper bassline would do this piece wonders. The piano reminds me a lot of Croc (the game) music, showing that heavily reverbed piano can sound very angelic if used right. The vox give it a good tone here. The biggest thing working against this piece are the beats. You gotta put more groove into them than the bland stuff you have going on here. Since this is a fairly light piece, it doesn't have to be too involved, just something to make the listener go "hey that's pretty cool" rather than "hey that's pretty boring." As Larry said, it repeated at 3:30, and it's pretty noticeable considering the melody isn't exactly memorable. Shorten the mix if you run out of ideas. This could've faded out fairly easily with such a light and angelic tone. Not a bad first submission. I do like the soundscape, it could've been a bit more full. A bassline really would've helped go with the beats, and some better beats would seal the deal. Duplicate the vox and stick a Flanger over the second lot, then automate them. It can give it a nice texture over the sections with no beats as you make the transition between sections. Anyway, not too bad, but not quite OCR quality yet. NO

Bassline was a bit droney when it came in. I've established that usually when a bassline sounds droney, it's because of my speakers, so I'll overlook that. Unfortunately, this mix lacks direction, it's all random stuff played all over the place. There's no beat (not saying there has to be) but it would help give the piece a bit of context. Since it just sounds like some guy with a new keyboard, trying out a bunch of new things. The track ended before it had really built up to anything. A mix like this deserves a groovy beat to coincide with the groovy synths and woodwind playing. NO

These are so difficult to judge, 'cause it's always hard to point out things that could be done better. Some parts of this remix are great, I heard them and I wanted to vote YES automatically, but other parts were like a kick to the nuts, they were so bland or just out of place for the mix. First of all, I enjoyed the production of the piece. Everything was clear, the quiet parts were gentle and audible, and the loud parts were powerful, but crisp and clear. I rushed to turn the volume down, but then stopped myself when I realised that it actually sounded good when it was up. Kudos on that front. When the Brink of Time part came in around 1:30 in, it seemed sudden, but it was sounded very well produced. The arrangement for that part is conservative, but the way you've transcribed it over to the orchestral sound is very powerful. The lower string just give it that powerful drive that the original was missing. The waltz piano gives it that "clock ticking" sound. What's nice is that this section lasts until 3:00, before the transition takes us into the next section. The change at 3:30 sounded a bit awkward. The pizz strings were a nice touch especially leading into the louder section from 4:30. Once again it sounds too loud initially, but it quickly becomes clear that it's just powerful and clear, not overly loud. It has problems, but it's probably as good as it's going to get without overstepping the mark. The ending was nice too, the way it slowly heads out. Considering two judges have already NO'ed this one, I'm tempted to stamp a YES OVERRIDE on it. But alas, fate is in the hands of the other 4 judges now. YES

The source reminds me a lot of e1m1 from Doom. Liking it. WIPEOUT!! Not being followed by the Wipeout riff disappointed me sorely. Production is a bad point. Everything seems awfully crisp, the EQ is punched up way too high in the top end. The arrangement ideas are kinda crazy, and I could see them working if perhaps pulled off a little more thoroughly, it seems too dysfunctional right now. Maybe stretch the mix out by adding some more cohesive sections between the really crazy sections so people have something to latch onto when listening. That'd help pad the mix out beyond the very short 2:11 as well. NO

Guitars are too loud and poorly played. Drums are robotic and too subdued. Everything is hidden beneath the guitars in the mix. Build around them, don't let them over-dominate. Arrangement is lurking in the cover zone. I'm with Larry on this one, there's little creativity here. Even without the poor production, I don't think this would pass. NO

Source: http://www.zophar.net/psf/FF7_psf.rar - 101 The Prelude This one is specifically a remix of the Prelude from FF7, so I've changed the title to reflect that. I'm not entirely sure that Prelude mixes are allowed, but I'll vote anyway. Ok, first 30 seconds and all I'm hearing is the source + drums. Maybe it will build somewhere. Got a little breakbeat leading into a section after :50. Now we have the flute melody from the source played over drumsbeats and pads. The beats build up. But the melody is 100% conservative cover of the original. Nothing new here, just a rather enjoyable rehash with drums over the top. The ending is identical to the source, but for some reason just cuts out around 2:36 with no final resolution. With that being said though, there's not a great deal you can do with the prelude. Nobuo himself goes to great lengths to make it sound different in each game, and the prelude in FFX is probably the best example of how it can be remixed into a proper tune. Either way this is a direct cover of the source (and I'm being kind in saying that) so this is an auto-reject. NO OVERRIDE (Also, if any judges want to confirm this, the file on the FTP is missing the last 20 seconds.)

Source: http://www.zophar.net/zsnes/spc/ebspc.rar - Dalaam Starting off your piece description with "Flaws and all" doesn't give great first impressions. 30 seconds into the mix and it has a very gentle and peaceful sound, yet to hear any standout "flaws", everything seems to meld together nicely here. The piano playing is serene at best. I can feel the eastern-vibe you've put into the mix. I was going to type something and lost my train of thought, listening to the mix. Production is good, nothing clips, nothing is too quiet, the way the piece is played and recorded lives up to the name of the instrument it was played on. No worries here. Have to wait to see if Larry or Gray notices any hiss or drone that my headphones are incapable of picking up on though. The arrangement took me a while to pick out, the two pieces are so different, the transition to piano seems almost alien. It's a good rearrangement though, I can pick up on it more easily now that I know what to listen for. The way the melody kicks off reminds me a lot more of Disney's "Robin Hood" than "Pocahantas", and some parts even go as far as reminding me of Aeris' theme from FF7. Anyway, solid arrangement, beautiful performance, easy pass. YES

Ramaniscent (zinged you, Rama!) of Shna's style of mixing, this one utilises some less than amazing samples in a more than amazing way. The shake up in time signatures throughout the mix always leaves you guessing. First to deal with the production. As said, there are some very low quality samples in this, dry and basic, but they're utilised in a very creative way. Everything is crisp and clear, all the effects are well timed and programmed. No complaints here. The soundscape sounds empty at times, but that just allows for the clarity. The arrangement is amazing. I haven't heard the source, and I'll come back to compare that when I find it. But without hearing the source, this is simply amazing. Everything fits together snugly. There's a section from 1:50 that melts my spine, the arpeggio synth playing in the background is such a logical move, it compliments the beats, the melody, the bass synth, everything so smoothly. After listening to the source finally. The arrangement in this actually comes accross as fairly conservative. Things stay fairly true to the original right the way through, however the creativity here comes from the techniques applied to the theme right the way through, and the way it's produced. Without all the little catchy differences, this would be falling dangerously close to being too conservative for the site. YES

Source: http://www.zophar.net/zsnes/spc/ct.rar - CT 3-08 Undersea Palace Intro is sounding reverb heavy, but buildup is promising. Strings are maybe a little overbearing. Starting to sound over-reliant on the source material, but we get a nice break around 40 seconds in. The techno beat works in a strange way since you're playing a 4/4 beat over a 3/4 time signature. Those strings are pretty much killing the mix, whenever they come in, the mix starts sounding less professional, and when they're gone it sounds really well textured. The break at 1:53 was just strange, it didn't work at all well. More like a transition attempt that didn't really work. You don't have to incorporate all parts of the source into your remix. If something isn't working, don't be afraid to leave it out. The second half repeats the general sound of the beginning, still conservative with the original. The rhythm synth is becoming repetative. Even though you've auto-filtered it through the mix, it's still the same sound playing the same bar over and over. The end was a little abrupt. I'd recommend working on a smoother soundscape. You have a good groove set up, but the background sounds like it's soaking in reverb where the strings sound like they're bone-dry. Use something less sharp for this type of mix. NO

Game: Final Doom Song Title: Milagro del Demonio (Miracle of the Demon) URL: Source: http://www.doulifee.com/prc/TheOrichalcon/tntshawn.ogg Source was kinda crazy. I shaped a different tune out of the bassline and incorporated the synth thing from the original into the flanged hawaiian guitar. There's some stereo separation on the drums to start with until we lead into the main groove. The rest is pretty much my usual pattern. A Mid-level buildup at the beginning, short atmospheric break, and then an intense finale. I snuck a "Spyro the Dragon" homage halfway through the mix too. If that stickhit annoys anyone, I can take it out. Also, the loud cry at the beginning of the mix and about halfway through is a transitional change-up from the normal cymbal crash. The sample is from Doom 3. Pointing out the source: [12:12] <Liontamer> for this Final Doom mix, what part of the source is the Hawaiian guitar part derived from? [12:12] <Liontamer> can you give me a timestamp to compare with from the source? [12:13] <The_Orichalcon> all the hawaiian guitar is shaped around the synth from the source. Some of it is original, working in and around the melody from the source. lemme get you some times [12:15] <The_Orichalcon> 1:20-1:38 in the mix, 0:48-1:07 in the source [12:16] <The_Orichalcon> and the hawaiian guitar parts from 2:30-the end are shaped around the strings from the beginning of the source [12:19] <Liontamer> timestamp on that? [12:19] <The_Orichalcon> timestamp? [12:19] <Liontamer> the strings [12:20] <Liontamer> yeah, what time regarding the strings [12:20] <Liontamer> :11? [12:20] <The_Orichalcon> :28-36 [12:21] <Liontamer> aight

After reading that, I'm thinking it be time to make it compulsory for all judges to vote under the influence of painkilling drugs.

I need a guitarist for one of my mixes. klm? Evilhorde? Anyone else interested? Send me a PM

Sounding pretty cool so far. The blank 4 seconds at the beginning was a little odd. The actual production is pretty damn good for the first minute or so, suits the overall feel of the piece fine. The bass is maybe a little punchy to start with for the ambient sections, once the beats come in (which totally kick arse, by the way) it all comes together. They're probably a bit loud in the context of the piece. I Couldn't really hear much else going on around the beats before 2:00. Great arrangement buildup from 2:30-3:20. The groove and sound from 3:30 is just crazy and great fun to listen to. I'm with larry that this has a very lo-fi sound to it. But it works in the context of the mix. Very experimental. Some parts are way over the top, but I think the parts where it all falls in place make up for that. No piece is perfect, this one is probably just on the borderline for passing. Could be better, but it's enjoyable as it is and just clears our bar for production standards. Ending was weak, btw. YES

The electric sounds were from the filler track "(-) Ions" on Tool's Ænima album.

Whoa, loud. Everything is loud in context here. The Synths are awfully dry. The beats are bland and basic, but at least they're powerful. Things get a little crunchy around 0:30, then we get a deliberate rhythm synth coming in and dotting it's way along with the buzz synth. This is just mixed too poorly to consider. It's so dry and basic that it's almost painful to listen to. You need to move beyond the boring and bland, loud and dry sounds. If the synth sounds bad when it's quiet, then it's still going to sound bad when it's 10 times louder. I do like the little fluttery effects you have dotted through the mix though, creative. NO

This seems quite dysfunctional. Not in a good way either. Nothing really jumps out to take centre stage and really wow the listener. The beats are deliberate, and when the mixer wants to build up the mix, he's just increased the volume of the main synthlead. There's no buildup around it or anything, it just seems way too beginnerish to me. Try building around the mix, as Gray said. You need thicker sounds. Synth string and Bass Synth would probably help you out a lot here. This is really missing the glue to hold everything together. There is charm, but it needs more before we can pass it. NO